Youngsters at five Coventry schools will showcase their own crime prevention projects at a conference next week.

The schools were invited to come up with their own crime awareness and prevention schemes based on the themes of vehicle crime, burglary, arson, street crime, drugs and raciallyaggravated crime.

Now the schools will give presentations on their projects at a youth crime conference at Foxford Community Arts College in Grange Road, Longford, on Wednesday from 6pm until 9pm.

Insp Mandy Mason, of Little Park Street police, Andy Pepper, head of Coventry Youth Offending Services and David Nuttall, assistant coordinator of Coventry's Drugs and Alcohol Action Team, will also be speaking at the conference.

Linda Hirons, who helped to set up the event, said: "It is easy to lecture young people on how to behave but taking a crime-related issue and investigating it creatively, then communicating their own responses to an audience, will give them a greater awareness of the consequences of crime and a better under-standing of what it is to be a positive and active member of the community."